Awesome food and great service. It's a true shame that this amazing place has closed after 40 years of being a major part of Candlewood Lake Life. You could enjoy covered dining or outdoor seating!! read more

Great view of the lake. Their fried clam platter is delicious. We also got the Boom Boom shrimp tacos. Will definitely go back. read more

Down The Hatch - Boom Boom tacos - American Near Me - Brookfield, Connecticut

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Relaxing, vacation feel. We loved it here! We went on a Friday in August around 1pm and had a 20 minute wait. That was no problem as we grabbed a drink at the bar first. I went with two girlfriends and felt like we were at a beach resort the moment we arrived. Staff was attentive and friendly. Food was flavorful and bountiful. I would definitely go back with more people. Would love to see what nightlife is like. read more

Down The Hatch - View right by where we sat - American Near Me - Brookfield, Connecticut

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Always a pretty setting, eclectic crowd, fun bar, with boat access. On a pretty spring or fall day it's a nice way to greet the season. Summer rocks with music as well. read more

Down The Hatch - along the water - American Near Me - Brookfield, Connecticut

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Great view. Fun to pull the bot up when on the water. The truffle fries were delicious. The rest of the food was just OK but the ambience made up for it. Good frozen drinks. The kids all got virgin strawberry daiquiris. The waitresses were a little standoffish and not very friendly. That said the service was extremely fast. read more

No bueno. I think a 2.8 overall rating pretty much sums this place up. I won't be back. Drinks were watered down, too much ice.

It's a fun vibe, particularly when you have a boat, but be prepared for a heavy wait if you're going on a weekend. Love the ability to dock the boat and hop off for some food, along with the nice water views. They have tons of seating and a large bar. Peak times are VERY busy. Be prepared to wait a while for a parking spot and then longer for a table. Drinks have always been tasty and foods decent and fairly inexpensive. Service does the best they can despite the crowds. It's fun for the experience, but nothing all that special. Weekdays during the day are probably the best for a laidback experience. read more

I have been here 3 times now and it never disappoints! The ambiance and food are great! It's a casual outdoor dining by the water. What else could you ask for ? We had the pleasure of having the same server, Viola, she is always pleasant serving with a smile. The food runners are so polite. But let's talk about that view! Boats docking to come dine. Love this place!!! My only suggestions are to add some steaks , oysters, and clams to the menu. That would make it perfect!! One thing I want to add it's not so handicap easily accessible, there's a ramp to the outdoor dining but rest rooms are on the upper level. There should be another rest room on the outdoor dining area read more

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I've been going here for years only because it's the only place in our area to eat on the water. However, over the years it has become apparent that the view is the only thing they have going for them. The food is overpriced and not fresh (definitely pre-prepared or frozen). The real nail in the coffin, though, is that the restaurant owners are raging MAGA/Trump supporters. And they like to advertise it. Very bad for business & distasteful. It tells me just what kind of people they are and what they stand for, and I will not be dining here again just for that reason alone. Never mind the bad food. There is zero diversity in their staff, which is a real shame as well, but not surprising. read more

Down The Hatch - American Near Me - Brookfield, Connecticut

Lakeside bar (so bar music & noisy, but to be expected). They have a large multi tier outdoor seating with umbrellas and spectacular views of the lake from all tiers. Staff are friendly, courteous, nice and fun. We shared a Gorgonzola bacon burger and mahi fish sandwich both came with fries and both were tasty. Definitely vacation bathing suit, summer, etc. atmosphere. We would come back if in the area again. Perfect casual afternoon lunch. read more

Down The Hatch - View of the lake from our table - American Near Me - Brookfield, Connecticut

Lunch on the Lake in Danbury. This spot came highly recommended from my family for a specific dish...my favorite actually, Fish 'n' Chips. My lunch did not disappoint at all. Batter on the fish was Crunchy but not too thick and had a nice little chewiness as well. Also the batter did not overwhelm the fish which was cooked perfectly, juicy and tender. All I had to do was add some lemon and malt vinegar, which I always add to my Fish'n'Chips and away we went on a delicious lunch adventure. The fries(Chips) were perfect starchy, salty and just a bit crispy. Top notch dish and dining experience at Down the Hatch. Thank You and I shall return! read more

Down The Hatch - Fish & Chips - American Near Me - Brookfield, Connecticut

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Wonderful place, with great food, service minded staff and spectacular views! We look at previous reviews and they made Us consider, but we went anyways and have definitely not regretted! I had the DTH burger and wife the Pulled pork special.. both were top notch! Beer was cool and I would come here again anytime! read more

Down The Hatch - IPA - American Near Me - Brookfield, Connecticut

Covid 19 has made everything difficult for everyone, but at Down the Hatch, they did their best! Nancy was fantastic. She provided great service--plus a few laughs. A great afternoon and fun in the sun. It was the highlight of our day on the lake. read more

Down The Hatch - a view of a lake and boats - American Near Me - Brookfield, Connecticut

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It's a good place to stop in.With your boat or your motorcycle. I love their Fish and Chips. Burgers are good too. Service was fast. Nice to sit by the window and see the boats in the water. read more

The food and services were decent. The atmosphere was nice, but the owner was unpleasant. She was very rude to the children in the group that were with us and completely disrespectful to my son with autism and myself. Do not recommend coming here unless you are childless and looking to get drunk. read more

Not sure what's going on here but they really jacked up the prices, reduced quantity and quality. Fried calamari had maybe 8 rings for like $14. Burger quality changed from previous years. Tastes like cheap frozen burgers. And prices up like 30 or 40%. Yes there is inflation but don't need to gouge. read more

Fairly priced food and drinks for the only lakeside restaurant on Candlewood Lake. Go earlier to avoid a rowdy crowd. Salad portion was generous. Korean BBQ chicken sandwich was tasty. Drinks were great! Great place to enjoy a sunny day. read more

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I've been coming here since I was a baby and I've always loved it. Obviously, the main draw is that it's right on the lake, making for a great spot to have dinner or drinks in the summer. The food is average, but the atmosphere makes up for it, even if watching everyone on the water with their boats does make me a little jealous. If bikers annoy you, probably avoid. I don't care at all, but this is a notorious biker stop. It can also get pretty loud, even in the morning when it first opens. That I do mind a little, but it's par for the course for such a popular place. read more

Down The Hatch - American Near Me - Brookfield, Connecticut

Went for the first time today.. of course it started to rain as soon as we started to eat and stopped when we finished.. That didn't take away from the excellent experience we had. Our waitress was fantastic getting us moved to a table under cover.. The food was very good. Had fish and chips and from other reviews you would think I would get fish sticks. Instead it was 2 nice pieces of beer batter cod. She had the half pound bacon cheese burger. We will be back but check the forecast first.. read more

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One thing about mostly negative reviews , most times the majority wins. The waitress was nice let me start with that , however the surcharges were ridiculous . They charged my fiancé two fees for adding Hennessy instead of rum to his piña colada , like why ? The calamari was very minimal for the price. The drink the waitress recommended tasted like NyQuil . Food was average . Very little flavor and 75 cent surcharge for extra tartar sauce which they gave us two little ones for two full meals . Best part about this place was the views read more

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Three and 3/4 stars. Nothing special but good. Outside area is perfect for a quick lunch whilst pontooning on Lake Candlewood so of course the view is great! Service is pleasant and fast, with good knowledge of the menu and specials. Drinks are reasonably priced and decent variety. Facility is clean and casual, with picnic tables big enough for 10. Lunches of seafood, chicken sandwiches, salads and fried fish and clams were all good and the poutine special was a nice addition to the menu. A little expensive but when you're the only place on the lake you can charge what you like but $166 before tip for 9 including drinks really isn't bad. This is our second visit and the food was consistent between visits and if we are on the lake again we would stop here again! read more

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Ambiance is key here as you are right on the water. Service was good, attentive. I had the lobster roll....could have been a bit more lobster meat but it was tasty and I enjoyed it. Everyone else in our group enjoyed their meals as well. read more

The drinks are pretty bad and the food isn't very good either. The service is practically nonexistent, and the only reason this place is still open is because it's one of the few spots right on Candlewood Lake. read more

Down the Hatch is the only restaurant on Candlewood Lake so it has a complete hold on the "food scene". Have been coming here over 14 years. The Good: water views and on a great Summer day, is enjoyable to watch the boaters and activity around the Lake. The Bad: the food!!!! Never understood why all these years, the Hatch cannot make decent basic quality food. The kitchen must burn-out alot of microwaves each season because that is how most of the food appears to come out. I am not trying to hold the Hatch to "foodie" standards, but do not kid yourself into thinking the food is anything but sub-par Bar food. I do not know who writes these reviews, but certainly not a regular of this establishment who understands what good food consists of, and the lack of quality this establishment provides. Why can't the Hatch prepare a decent salad; or why does hot food comes out looking like it was microwaved and prepared the day before. I get customers pay for the view and expensive drinks; that is given. But a little more effort is all that is required to make the food enjoyable. Without any competition from other food vendors on the Lake, the Hatch is able to secure its place without improving its food. Hopefully another establishment will be introduced and force the Hatch to upgrade it food service. Check out all the prior Hatch reviews and ask, why the only Restaurant on the Lake cannot muster better food reviews. Bottom line: have a drink and enjoy the view but ignore the food. read more

I'm so shocked this place only has 2 1/2 stars! This place is def a 5 star place. I've been here multiple times including today and I have never had any issues with this place. We've tried different things like fish and chips, clam strips, and today i had the po' boy sandwich which was incredible. Their onion rings and cole slaw are bomb lol the service is always good. The food always comes out quick. The view is gorgeous, so nice sitting on the water and seeing boats and jet skies and people having a good time. This is one of my favorite places to eat! Its a must! read more

Really nice place to sit on the water and have good basic food like fish and chips, burgers, and salads. Service was great , quick and efficient. We brought out of town guests and they enjoyed sitting by Candlewood Lake. read more

I wish I could suggest this place. I've gone here for most of my childhood and adult life. Past 3 times I've eaten here, I've gotten food poisoning. One or twice I can chalk up to bad luck. 3 times though is indicative of larger issues. Food portion sizes and quality has decreased drastically since the late 2010s read more

Outside seating was nice. Nice view of the lake. Service was quick. I had the fried shrimp platter...very good. My husband got a bacon cheese burger..received it on the rare side (very rare). read more

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This is the place to be on the lake. Can't believe the negative reviews. Never ever had a bad meal here, and come at least 4 times a summer, by boat. Specials are good, beer is cold, view is great. read more

It use to be the place to be, the food was not bad, their Caprese Salad was one of the best in the area, their barbecue chicken wings were very good too. Over the last year those staples have been taken off the menu. The food now seems to be frozen, not inspired in anyway and the service was painfully slow. If you like looking out on Candlewood lake and see people docking their boats, then you may like it. For food, I do not recommend anymore. I use to each lunch there, now there is nothing on the menu that is inspired that I'd want to or trust to eat. What a shame. Sorely disappointed with the changes,..maybe a new chef or something is trying to save money and cheating out on the menu. read more

Overall I like this place. First time here on Memorial Day weekend (Sat.), so needless to say it was packed. We were very confused at first where to sit bc I over heard a waitress tell people to seat themeslves. So right away I found a table down by the water. We sat for a good 5 min before noticing that the wait staff only stayed up top under the canopy tent - so we moved and surprisingly found a table right away. Our server came over fast and took our order - pulled pork sandwich for me, chicken salad for hubby and mac n cheese for my 3 year old. The food came out quickly but the quality was just eh. Very average in my opinion. You're really dining there for the atmosphere vs top quality food. Either way, we enjoyed ourselves and will def be back. read more

Down The Hatch - Pulled Pork Sandwich - American Near Me - Brookfield, Connecticut

Oh my goodness what a fabulous experience we had last week. I grew up in Brookfield but moved to LA years ago. Haven't been to Down the Hatch in 8-10 years. The changes they have made are absolutely incredible. I felt like I was on vacation at a beautiful resort. We were seated and welcomed by a friendly hostess. Had an excellent lunch while over looking the lake. The Poki tacos are exceptional. Our server Alex was a gem and we had the pleasure of getting to chat with the owner Scott before we left. Discovered that the friendly hostess we met is his sister. I just love that this business has stayed in the Parente family for generations. I highly recommend visiting Down the Hatch if you are in town. If you live near and haven't been for a while please go check it out. You won't be disappointed! read more

Totes forgot to write this joint up after I came here with friends in June. After renting a boat for a bday celebration, we were tipsy and hungry and in the mood for some seafood grub. We heard about this restaurant so obviously we needed to check it out. Parking is packed and so we knew there could be a mighty wait. Surprisingly we were seated quickly but the accommodations brought us back to elementary school. And yes, it was hella crowded. Whatever, its an outdoorsy, lakeside place right? lets just get our food on. We went on to order a various array of food and it seemed pretty affordable price wise.. well, I now know why. One of us ordered scallops and even in a beer induced food haze, we realized they were not indeed scallops. They were the cheap knock off wanna-be version: aka skate, made to mimic scallops (though I'm not sure how bc the taste and texture is completely different.) No wonder they seemed too good to be true for $12.95. Overall the food was nothing to write home about. I can't even remember what the rest of us had bc it was so underwhelming. Party of 5 [lol] and the bill came to $100. Idk I guess this place gets it's hype since it is right on the water and has boat docking for convenience. I would personally rather save my money and pack a good cooler full of food and drinks. It's by far the better option. read more

If your looking for gourmet food, Down The Hatch is not the right place. But it's perfect for hanging out, meeting friends & enjoying the lake view. It's very popular with bikers and boaties, and can get crowded & loud, but finding a table in the serviced dining area still wasn't an issue on a beautiful late Sunday afternoon. Parking can get a bit tricky though. The food is average, my fries were rather on the undercooked side, but the beer selection is decent. The service was initially a bit slow, but the waiter apologised and fully made up for that once I had ordered. read more

Down The Hatch - Buffalo Popcorn Shrimps and loaded Ship Wreck Fries - American Near Me - Brookfield, Connecticut

The food, drinks and service are the worse. The only nice thing is the view. I been there twice, was not planning to return after my first visit since what I ordered my kids ended up feeding it to the fish since it was horribly bad. Second time was invited and had the same experience, drinks are terrible bad, please hire real bartenders and real chefs. read more

So after careful consideration we decided to give down the hatch another try. Having come here for three decades I figured our last visit might have been a fluke. We were seated promptly following all the vivid guidelines. Our server was prompt and friendly and honestly the spacing on the tables gave us a great view of the lake. Here is where it ends. The food is mediocre at best with very small portions. My 13.00 calamari worked out to be 1.00 per ring. The drinks specials which we were steered to were expensive and definitely not worth it. Stop by enjoy the view and have a beer. Then head out to eat somewhere else! read more

Down The Hatch - 13.00 calamari - American Near Me - Brookfield, Connecticut

View is super nice and the fact that you can come on a boat is a plus. But food is eh not great, I had shrimp plater and it was quite tasteless no salt on my frozen french fries. Everything seamed to be pre made/ frozen (would be so much better if at least the fries were good it's not that hard to pill a potato) we also ordered Caribbean chicken sandwich don't ask me what's in it that makes it Caribbean - it came as a grilled chicken breast with some pink sauce and tomato and Romanian heart not lettuce. Over all good place for a drink but food not so much :-/ read more

Down The Hatch - Shrimp plater - American Near Me - Brookfield, Connecticut

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Horrible terrible food. Waitstaff was talking loudly about customers in a negative way where anyone could hear. Dry, burnt food. read more

Down The Hatch - this waitress was nasty - American Near Me - Brookfield, Connecticut

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Get the buckets.. you'll thank me I was sad I couldn't bring the bucket home but I understand

Wow this place is SHIT. If you want a crappy ass view of a lake and juke boxes that don't work..COME! Instead I wasted money and time on this place. What's up?!? I'm the one that threw the straws all over the place because this place SUCKS. Long Island is where it's at. Peace! read more